Sadr urges security boost in Iraq amid reports of ISIS prison break in Syria

Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Monday urged Baghdad’s security forces to raise their level of alert to protect the country after what he described as “extremists” in Syria “released outlaws” from prisons.

The cleric's remarks followed reports that Damascus-affiliated armed groups freed Islamic State (ISIS) militants from detention facilities seized from Kurdish forces in northeast Syria (Rojava).

In a post on X, Sadr said that “extremists in sisterly Syria are opening prisons and releasing outlaws - the dregs of the earth - which increases the level of danger.” He urged Syrian authorities to hand over any Iraqi nationals among those released to the Iraqi government.

Sadr also called on Baghdad to ask Amman to “hand over elements of the Iraqi Ba'ath,” warning of “plans for cooperation between the impure Ba'ath and the outcasts.”

On the security front, the prominent cleric urged the Iraqi government to “activate air defenses to protect our holy sites first, and prisons second,” and called on security forces across all branches to “raise their level of readiness and avoid complacency.”

Sadr’s remarks came shortly after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto military force in Rojava, published a video on X that "captures the moment Damascus-affiliated factions stormed al-Shaddadi prison [in Hasaka] - which houses thousands of ISIS members - and freed them."

Earlier in the day, the SDF said it had lost control of al-Shaddadi prison to armed groups in Hasaka province, noting that the facility holds “thousands of ISIS militants.”


Moreover, the Kurdish-led forces on Monday released a graphic video on X showing at least four individuals - believed to be members of the force - in military uniforms with slit throats and mutilated bodies.

“In a heinous crime allegedly committed by Damascus government forces, they beheaded a group of our fighters during their capture and recorded the act on video in the style of the ISIS terrorist organization,” the SDF said.

In the wake of these developments, the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said that “the Iraqi people must exercise caution and vigilance by reporting any suspicious activity, while at the same time avoiding engagement in sectarian strife that would increase internal and external tensions.”

He urged Iraq’s central government and local authorities in provinces bordering Syria to counter “any border violations, including the smuggling of weapons or the movement of terrorist elements across the border.”

Sadr further called on military and security leaders to “closely monitor borders and ports,” while urging religious clerics to “pray for Iraq to be kept away from dangers and to educate the people about the dangers of terrorism and sectarianism.” He also called for “reviewing and investigating the presence of our Syrian brothers on Iraqi territory.”

Of note, Salih Mohammad al-Iraqi, a user on X known for relaying Sadr's views, reported later on Monday that the cleric has "ordered the dispatch of a high-level delegation to the Iraqi-Syrian border to review the details and support the security forces in their work."

Importantly, the Iraqi Shiite cleric’s remarks come despite statements from Baghdad’s Interior Ministry that Iraq’s borders with Syria are the “most secure and fortified.”

RELATED: Iraq says border with Syria ‘most secure’ amid Rojava escalation

Updated at 10:19 pm.